New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-04-27

distressing Task. ~ don't Want such
another one.
Some Of these people went from me
to Secretary Stanton, where they
were sure to get rudely cut off
And a few, no doubt, went from him
to President Lincoln; and It is quite
likely that his great kind heart favor
ably responded to their distressful APP
peals. .5
OF rather a different kind from any
Of these were the two applicants that
/ am about to tell you Of.
They were an elderly, gray-haired
man, bent, and rather feeble, and his
son, a lusty young farmer oking per-
son OF two-and-Jwenty or so, who ex-
5hibited all the shyness and difidence
so natural to one not used to mingle
with the men Of cities when he finds
himself cast among them.
J found them one morningi in crowd
that filed my Office. They came up
shyly, in their turn, and told their
story.
It was the old story; it had been
told a dozen times to me that morn
ing.
They had a relative in General Nc
.Dowell's command. They wanted to
see him; and wanted pass to 20
down.
NO." I said. tNo passes are grant
ed to civilians. It can't be DONE
They hesitated, looked at each 9th
er, and acted as though they wanted
to say something more, but didn't ex-
actly know how to say it. The crowd
was surging back of them, and told
them to move on. They did so; and
| noticed that their faces were full OF
disappointment and grief. But I pres
emily forgot them, in dealing with 9TH
ers who pressed forward.
All the morning the crowd came
and went, and it was not till after
noon that there was an interval to
breathe and think ofsomething besides
saying mo-" and reading and indoors
ing official papers that came to me.
When that interval came, nobody
remained outside the ratings but the
two men l have spoken o. / remem-
bered them at. once.
They were probably encouraged by
being able to speak to me alone; and
| presume | was less peremptory, with
the stress of the days business gone.
'tWell," Isaid, "whatisit? Haven't
you been to me once this morning?
The young fellow came forward as
bashfully as girl.
eyes, sir" he said "Father and I
spoke to you a while ago, when you
were busy. We'vegot arelative down
in General McDowell's army; and we
want
II understood you perfectly then,"
| interrupted. What you want can
not possibly be granted"
The father now came forward. His
anxious, venerable face and trembling
voice would have moved any one to
pity, as they did me; but Ihad to steel
myself against him.
'Sir!'' he said. 'sSir, if you knew
why we are so anxious to 90 down to
General McDowell's army, you would
try to help us"
''.My dear SIR" / replied, II can't
help you. 1t is utterly beyond my
power. General Wadsworth would
say just the same, if l were to take
you to him. Don't you understand,
the Secretary Of War has ordered that
no civilian shall go to the front, and
we don't dare to disobey that order,
it we wish to-. can sympathize with
you, because I see that you are IN
real trouble; but it's not possible for
me to do any thing else.
/: The old man looked the picture of
despair. He turned desperately to
his son.
"John, what, in Gods name, shall
we do?" he cried.
"Sir," said the son, "won't you
hear our story? I don't know as you
can do anything to help us; but it'll
do no harm to tell you, and we won't
keep you long,
I looked at my watch. The hour
was early yet; there was nothing very
pressing on hand. I had time to sym
pathize with the distress of these peo-
pie; why should not?
'"Tell me, if We wish to, saidI. On
", warn you before you begin, that
l can't do anything for you
The father told the story. It was a
brief one; but doubt if anything like
it was ever told to q staff officer in
the same way. These persons, father
and son. lived in the state OF New
York. The family besides themselves
consisted Of one person, a daughter
and a sister, still in her teens.
She was engaged to be married to a
young man oftheir neighborhood, who
had enlisted thatlspring as a recruit in
one OF McDowe!l's New, Y ork regiments,
and was now at the front.
One week before the discovery had
come to that rural home hat It was.
threatened with disgrace. Let me
speak as delicately of this as the dis.
tressed father tried to speak to me.
The girl had loved mot wisely, bnt;
too well" She was likely to become
a mother.
They knew that her lover-who, by
the way. was a Lieutenant-co uld not
get a leave of absence at that time.
. They acted on the impulse that
told them to go to him, with her. So
they were here, trying to get him to
right the wrong he had done.